The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
ATTACKED BY GRIZZLIES.
Two Adventures that Show that These
Big Bears are Very Aggressive.
From Harper's Maoazine.

Big Bears are Very Aggressive.
From Harper's Magazine
Few persons believe that grizzly will at
tack a man before he is himself attacked.
was one of those doubling Thomases until
two years ago, when was thoroughly con
WINGED by ocular demonstration that some
grizzlies at least win attempt to make a
meal off man even though he may not
have harmed them previously. We were
hunting i'll the ShoShone mountains, in
Northern Wyoming. | had killed large
elk in the morning, and on going back to the
carcass in the afternoon to skin it we saw
that bruin had been there ahead of us, but
had fled on our approach. Without the
least apprehension Of his return, we leaned
our rifles against a tree about fifty feet away
and commenced work. here were three of
us, but only two rifles, Mr., Hoffman, the
photographer, having left his in camp. He
had finished taking views of the carcass, and
we We're all husily engaged in skinning
when, hearing crashing In the brush and
series of savage roars and growls, we
looked up the hill, and were Mortified to see
three grizzly bears, an old female and two
cubs about wo-thirds grown, charging upon
us with all the fury of pack of starving
wolves upon a sheepfold.
|, They were between us and our rifles when
we first saw them, and we sprang to our
horses, which were picketed few yards
below, surprising, of course, that when the
bears reached the carcass they would pro
coed to eat it, and pay no further attention
! to u.s. Strange to say, it was the carcass to
which they paid no attention. They still
came after us: we had no time for flight,
and could not even release and mount our
terror-stricken horses. Our only chance
was to fight for our lives, and with one ac-
,,,.I oil hY,.,f i,,fr
knives and dashed at them. We threw our
hats and yelled like Comanches. and the saw
age brutes, seeing themselves thus boldly
confronted by equal numbers, stopped,
raised on their launches growled snapped
their jaws for few moments, and then
walked sullenly back up the hill into the
brush. This gave us an opportunity to get
hold of our rifles, and then it was our turn
to charge. To make long story short, we
killed the old female and one cub; the other
escaped into the jungle before we could get
a shot at him. Tho reSolute front we put ON
alone saved our lives.
Another instance of grizzly making an
unprovoked attack upon a man was vouched
for by a man whom | know to be strictly
truthful Two brothers were prospecting in
range of mountains near the headwaterS of
the Shrinking Water river. The younger of
the two though an able-bodied man, and
capable Of dong a good days work with a
pick or shovel, was weak minded, and the
elder brother never allowed him to go any
distance away from camp or their work
alone He, however, sent him one evening
to the spring, a few rods off, to bring ket-
tleful of water. The spring was in a deep
gorge, and the trail to it wound through
some assures in the rock As the young
man passed undcra shelving rock an i'm
mense old female grizzly, that had taken up
temporary quarters there, reached out and
struck powerful blow at bis head, but for
tunately conld not reach far enough to do
him any serious harm The blow knocked
his nat off, and her claws caught his scalp,
and laid it open clear across the top of his
head in several ugly gashes. The force of
the blow sent him spinning around and not
knowing enough to be frightened, he at
! tackled her savagely with the only weapon
he had at hand-the camp kettle. The
elder brother heard the racket, and hastily
catching up his rifle, found his brother Wig
! orously belaboring the bear over the head
with the camp kettle, and the bear striking
at him savage blows, any one of which, il
She could have reached him, would have
torn his head from his shoulders. Three
bullets from the rife, fired in rapid success
sion, loosened her hold upon the rocks, and
she tumbled lifeiessly into the trail. The
poor idiotic boy could not even then realize
the danger through which he had passed,
and could only appease his anger by con-
tinuing to maui the bear over the head with
the camp kettle for several minutes after
she was dead.